chicago ♔ it’s a tragedy to be left only with memories

[savemyself]

WHO || Failboat and friends [Closed]
WHAT || As the trial drags on, the Knights spend their last few months in Chicago and tensions mount
WHERE || Various locations, Chicago
WHEN || November 21st - The end of the trial?? [Back AND Forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam, don't sweat tag order


Everybody loves a media circus and the trial of Rafael Giovanni is no exception. If he was famous before, in the days following the shooting, now he's all people are talking about, and all the tabloids want to focus on. The complications presented at some of the early hearings by Jaka, regarding the identity of the Black Scourge and Rafael's alleged reaction have only made the story more appealing to the millions watching.

They've also caused the trial to drag out for months as facts are checked, evidence is poured over, and the jury becomes only more split on the issue. In the meantime, the holidays fly by, and one of the most terrible winters in years blankets Chicago in blizzards.

This log covers any work and non-work related shenanigans the Knights have while staying in Chicago, immediately following the last log and continuing for the next couple months. This will be the Knight's last time in Chicago before the trial: after which they plan to return to the castle to fully Knight Violet and Elena and decide where to head next.

Make your own threads, don't fuss about tag order, feel free to threadjack multiple people into one thread for hang-outs, ask me if you want a certain scene with an NPC, etc. forever whatever.

Comments

[slay]

It's not exactly pearly gates and fat babies. [ she laughs, shaking her head. it didn't really occur to her, but she guesses ... it does sound heaven. that's just any nice afterlife, right? it beats imagining being wormfood and nothing more, she supposes. ]

[romanticidal]

Would you truly feel at peace, if you had to wear only white robes and sing in a choir all day?

[ he half-chuckles ] I would expect heaven to be much more like you describe.

[slay]

Well, if you beat me there, send me a postcard.

[ ahahahaha morbid. ]

[romanticidal]

I hope it is a long way off. For us both.

[ do you hear that, buffy. those are the strains of look at me not being suicidal rn.

of course, it might just be posturing, but it sounds like he probably means it. progress. ]

[slay]

[ she watches him for a long, silent moment, processing that. slowly, a smile builds in her expression and she reaches out to take his hand again, squeezing. ]

Yeah. I hope so, too. [ and there's genuine hope there, in her expression. maybe things are turning around, after all. the trial is won, courtesy of the grays. rafael has spotted a light at the end of his darkness. they're going to be okay. until the finale. ]

[romanticidal]

Good thing we can watch each other's backs, then, no? [ he squeezes her hand back firmly ]

[slay]

'Til the end. [ and she means that, if her warm smile is anything to go by. she pats his hand with her free hand and then sits up straighter decisively. ] Come on. [ she turns to shut his laptop and gets to her feet. ] This place is depressing. We're cleaning.

[romanticidal]

[ his gaze skirts the room, and he looks a little surprised, as if finally seeing it for the first time ] ... Si, I suppose I have let things go a bit.

[slay]

Yeah, well. Murder trial. These things happen. [ she claps a hand on his arm and stands. ] I'll grab a garbage bag.

[romanticidal]

I suppose part of me had hoped we would not be here so long. To settle in seemed to say it would be very long before I saw Italia again.

[slay]

Do you miss it? [ she sounds apologetic about that at least, lingering in the doorway. ]

[romanticidal]

Every single day in which I am away, si. There is much to be said for traveling the world, but there is nowhere quite so beautiful as my home.

[slay]

Well. Maybe it's selfish, but I'll be sorry when you go back to it.

[ she hesitates for a beat, then dips out the door to go acquire said trash bag. ]

[romanticidal]

[ he looks up at her for a moment, but then she's out the door and he doesn't follow. he'll just... organize his papers and put them in a folder over here, yep. ]

[slay]

[ buffy heads out into the kitchen to root around for a garbage bag, but she stops at the crashing noise that comes from des' room (listen 22). she shoots back up to her feet, alert. like glass breaking - a bottle, maybe? she wants to dismiss it, because it's des, and not only will he be fine, but he's probably just being a drunken idiot.

she can't, though. she's just not programmed that way. so, garbage bag tightly clenched in one hand, she heads over to des' room and knocks on the door. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[There's no answer.

The door is unlocked, however.]

[slay]

[ well she will push it open, then, and not step inside yet. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[THE ROOM IS

empty.

Not even suspiciously empty, beyond the broken bottle that must have been thrown against the wall, judging by the whiskey stain and the shattered glass on the floor. The window's shut tight. Des's jacket isn't anywhere in sight, so whatever happened, he left willingly and had time to prepare for it. The problem is he had no time to slip out into the hall without anyone seeing him.

It's like he simply poofed.]

[slay]

[ the only person who could make this sketchier was if it were mark who was supposed to be in his room. buffy charges inside, searching out the broken bottle on the floor by the wall. her fingers brush briefly against the stain left behind, and then she raises her voice to shout. ]

RAFAEL! [ get your italian ass in here. ]

[romanticidal]

[ he doesn't waste any time, coming out around the corner from where his own room was and approaching behind her ] Is something wrong?

[slay]

Des. He's gone. [ she raises a hand to wipe across the wall, testing how fresh the whiskey is or if it's already dried and she's just crazy. sometimes you have to check (in...vestigate? 9?). ] He was here, I swear to god. I heard a noise, but I came in and the room was just ... empty.

[romanticidal]

[ it seems sticky???? that's all she gets out of that, really. ] He seemed very upset, when he left me.

[slay]

Eww.

[ she makes a face, pulling her hand back. ]

I realize how this is gonna sound, but ... I don't think he left. [ she looks over at rafael, rubbing her sticky fingers together. ] I would have seen him go past, I'd have to.

[romanticidal]

[ rafael tries the window, which is closed, but unlocked ] Would he have reason to...?

[slay]

To jump out the window? [ seriously? ] Even if he had reason, it wouldn't do anything to him.